Bowmanville church celebrates expansion

Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church reaching out to build stronger bonds with the community

Bowmanville church celebrates expansion

Ryan Pfeiffer / Metroland

BOWMANVILLE -- Erin Bourne, a member of the Young Women's group, worked on a scarf as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held an open house at their Bowmanville Ward January 26. The building was recently renovated and enlarged over the past year to accommodate the growing number of Latter-day Saints in the area. January 26, 2013.

CLARINGTON -- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Bowmanville held an open house on Saturday, Jan. 26 to celebrate a new expansion.

"This is brand new. It's got that new chapel smell," said Stephen Senter, the lay minister for the church, at Hwy. 2 and Regional Road 57. "We almost doubled (the building) in size."

A new 5,600-square-feet section has been added to the 9,000-square-foot building. The Bowmanville congregation has grown to approximately 400 people. The expansion addresses cramping issues that have been bothering the church-goers for the past eight years, according to Bishop Marcelo Ulloa, who oversees LDS churches from Peterborough to Pickering.

The Bowmanville church now has a new gymnasium, previously a meeting room, for dances, sporting events and Scouting.

There are now many classrooms for the congregation to break off into smaller groups for Bible study after the service.

"We divide them up in ages. You're not teaching a three year old the same thing you would a nine year old," said Connie Maglioli, public affairs director for the church.

The expansion also takes future growth into consideration. If the congregations becomes too big, another leader can be added and the congregation divided between them.

There are now new relief society rooms, where men and women divide by gender for group gospel-related classes.

"Gospels to help men and women in their area of responsibility ... Some of the classes are the same. Sometimes I'd like to know what the women are saying," joked Mr. Ulloa.

The relief society works to identify a need in the community, or the world, and find a way the congregation can help. The Bowmanville church has supported local food banks and St. Vincent's Kitchen. In 2012, the LDS church gave relief to people caught up in 119 different disasters in 50 countries around the world, according to Ms. Maglioli.

"During Hurricane Katrina our church deployed. We were there before the U.S. Army," said Ms. Maglioli.

LDS Church has a strong emphasis on self-reliance. The church has its own welfare system, and has a bishop's storehouse to distribute goods to those in need. The church encourages people to have 72 hours of emergency supplies and a year's worth of basic food for their family in case of disaster.

"The classic example is the pharaoh's dream (of seven years of famine after seven years of plenty). Now's the time to prepare for famine," said Mr. Senter. "But if I've got my year's worth of food, then the saying is 'How's your neighbour doing?'"

The church also offers family counselling, an employment resource system and genealogy centre.

All of these church services are available to the general public who don't worship with the LDS church.

"Because we don't have an open building all the time, we're looked at as being closed (off). We are accessible," said Ms. Maglioli. "We have such a lovely close-knit community, but it's incumbent upon ourselves to reach out into the community."